Methadone, Oxycontin, Opiates and Pregnancy

Trying to detox from opiates while pregnant is not a recommended action.
If you are dependent on opiates – methadone, heroin, oxycodone or
other prescription drugs – please call us BEFORE you get pregnant.

One of our saddest moments at Novus is when we are contacted by a woman
who is addicted to narcotics like methadone or OxyContin and is pregnant.
It is sad for us because our facility cannot provide the type of medical
care that is needed to safely detox a pregnant woman. Few facilities do.

But we can help before pregnancy, with the most comfortable, safest and
most effective detox available anywhere.

What is Neonatal Abstinence Syndrome in opiate addiction?

Babies born to mothers taking methadone or OxyContin or other dangerous
drugs will frequently have a condition called neonatal abstinence syndrome
(“NAS”).

According to the National Institute of Health, NAS can occur when the mother
is taking the following drugs:

It is known that when these drugs are taken by the mother, they will be
metabolized by the mother and pass through the mother’s bloodstream
into the placenta–the organ that connects the baby to its mother
in the womb–and go into the bloodstream of the fetus. Predictably,
but tragically, many babies become dependent on the drug and suffer painful
withdrawal symptoms when they are withdrawn from the drug.

Of course, these drugs are not the only substances that can cause problems
for the baby. Alcohol is another and has its own syndrome, Fetal Alcohol
Syndrome which causes many problems similar to NAS.

There is hope for a new life. Call to speak to one of our experienced &
caring detox advisors today!
(855) 464-8550

The American Academy of Pediatrics Committee on Drugs estimates that NAS
occurs in at least three percent of the births in the United States, and
it is increasing. In an article in the Archives of Disease in Childhood
– Fetal and Neonatal Edition , it is stated, “Opiates, such
as heroin and methadone, cause withdrawal in over half of babies exposed
prenatally. Cocaine may cause some withdrawal, but the main symptoms in
the baby are due to the toxic effects of the drug itself. Other drugs
such as amphetamines, barbiturates, and narcotics can also cause withdrawal.
Alcohol use causes withdrawal in the baby, as well as a group of problems
including birth defects called fetal alcohol syndrome.”

Adverse effects on babies from Neonatal Abstinence Syndrome

While most pregnant mothers know that drinking alcohol, drug use and smoking
can have a harmful effect on their baby, someone who has become dependent
on or addicted to drugs or alcohol is normally unwilling or unable to
stop taking drugs or drinking. Research has shown that the use of drugs
or alcohol while the mother is pregnant is associated with the following
health problems:

Birth defects

Low birth weight

Premature birth

Seizures

Being stillborn (the baby is dead when delivered)

Smaller than normal size of the head

Sudden infant death syndrome (SIDS)

Neonatal Abstinence Syndrome symptoms in babies after birth

While symptoms can appear right after birth, they can also be delayed for
five to ten days and can last for weeks. NAS is difficult to diagnose
because some of the symptoms can be of other problems as well. Some of
the symptoms include:

Blotchy skin coloring (mottling)

HIV virus

Dehydration

Diarrhea

Excessive or high-pitched crying

Excessive sucking

Fever

Hyperactive reflexes

Increased muscle tone

Irritability

Eating problems

Rapid breathing

Seizures

Sleep problems

Slow weight gain

Stuffy nose, sneezing

Sweating

Trembling (tremors)

Vomiting

Common tests for Neonatal Abstinence Syndrome in babies born to addicted mothers

Of course, the first thing to determine is if the mother is using one of
these drugs. If she is, then it is likely that many of the babies will
have NAS. Here are some of the tests that can be done on the baby:

A scoring system, which assigns points based on each symptom and its severity.
The infant’s score can help determine treatment.

Toxicology screen of first bowel movements which contain only what was
consumed by the baby in the womb (called meconium)

Urine test (urinalysis)

Treatment options for babies born with Neonatal Abstinence Syndrome

If a child is diagnosed with NAS, the form of treatment depends on several
things including:

The infant’s overall health

Whether the baby was born premature

Whether the baby was born full-term

Babies with NAS may need to receive medicine similar to an adult who is
having withdrawal symptoms. Medicines may include:

A benzodiazepine like Valium for alcohol withdrawal

Methadone for heroin and other opiate withdrawal

The same drug that the mother was taking and then reduce the amount of
the drug until the baby has withdrawn

Personal experience of a nurse who has had to treat babies born with Neonatal
Abstinence Syndrome

One of the advantages of being frequently quoted is that people send you
information about problems stemming from drug use. With her permission,
I am going to print the contents of two emails that I received from Judy,
a nurse who has to deal with the problems created by NAS and particularly
by the mistaken idea that the way to treat heroin addiction is not with
actual treatment but with methadone — a more addictive and destructive drug.

Here is what she said: “Thank you for your prompt response to my
email. I have read a lot of the same literature that you have that plays
down the ill effects of being on methadone while pregnant. What I’m
trying to find out is if there are any methadone clinics that at least
encourage, if not require, birth control while on the program so that
these babies aren’t born under the influence in the first place.
From what I understand, and I’m planning on investigating further,
the methadone clinics in my area don’t go over any of the risks
to the baby with these girls at all, so they get pregnant expecting to
take a normal baby home in 2 days like everyone else.

“I don’t know what the long-term effects to these babies are,
if any, but after witnessing the horrible suffering that these babies
go through when they are tiny newborns and more and more babies being
born under the influence of this drug, I can’t sit back any more
and do nothing.

“I work in a very small, rural hospital, and about 4 years ago, we
had ZERO babies born under the influence of drugs. Since then, it has
progressively gotten worse. We now usually have at least one baby withdrawing
from drugs. Last week we had twelve babies at one time, and seven of them
were withdrawing from drugs. Two of these babies were withdrawing from
methadone, and they were the ones that had the worst symptoms and had
to be on morphine to try to decrease their symptoms.

“They both had to be hospitalized for approximately three weeks before
we could get them completely off the morphine and discharge them.

“If we suspect drug use by the mother when she comes to us in labor,
either by her admission, little or no prenatal care, prior known drug
use, etc., we do a urine drug screen on her. Then, after the delivery,
the baby’s urine is tested, and a meconium drug screen is also done.
The urine drug screens, which we get the results of within about an hour,
show what is currently in the patient’s system as of the last day
or two. The meconium drug screen, which takes about 10 days for the results
to come back, shows what has been in the baby’s system for the last
several weeks. We also begin Neonatal Abstinence Syndrome Scoring (NASS)
on the baby, which means that we check their vital signs and score them
every 4 hours around the clock. The way the scoring system works is that
points are assigned to certain withdrawal symptoms that the baby is exhibiting
and the severity of each. Different symptoms that we see include increased
temperature, increased respiratory rate, tremors, high-pitched crying,
poor feeding, sleep problems, tight muscle tone, excoriation of the skin,
sneezing, diarrhea (which causes terrible diaper rash), excessive and
inconsolable crying, in addition to many others. If the baby scores an
8 or above, we then score them again in 2 hours. If they get an 8 or above
for 3 consecutive times, they are then started on morphine, and the dosage
is adjusted slowly up or down every few days, depending on their NASS
score, the goal being to ultimately wean them off of the morphine. When
they are started on morphine, it usually takes weeks before they are weaned
off completely (a normal baby is usually discharged after two days).

“In addition to the morphine, these babies usually need a lot of
care, swaddling, a dark and quiet environment, and sometimes it is just
not possible to comfort them because of their irritability and suffering.
The worst thing is that IT CAN AND SHOULD HAVE BEEN PREVENTED.”

Conclusion

As Judy says, you have babies suffering but you don’t know how many
other problems that the baby will have because they were subjected to
these poisons while in the womb. At Novus Medical Detox Center, we specialize
in helping people find a cure to the problems caused by drugs and alcohol.
We want to help you before you get pregnant and have to experience seeing
your own child go through any of the above.

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the creation of a physician patient or clinical relationship. If you have
or suspect that you have a medical problem or that this information may
be useful to you or others, please consult with your health care provider
before applying any information from our articles to your personal situation
or to the personal situation of others.

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We develop an individualized medical detox program specifically for each
of our patients, which means no recovery will look the same. Our delicious
food, nutritional IVs and supplements, and specialized detox protocols
are all designed to quicken the healing process. We understand that various
addictions present a number of issues for the human body, so we create
our IVs and diets to fit the needs of specific withdrawal symptoms.

Our process is all about you, which is why we have private and shared rooms
available for our residents. Each room is outfitted with a TV, telephone,
and access to the internet. We also provide educational classes that will
show you how the drug or alcohol of your choice affects your body. We
believe that to effectively fight off your withdrawal symptoms, it is
important to know what you are fighting against and what to be prepared for.

The information on this website is for general information purposes only.
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